Health Tips

A bra may not be the safest place to keep your smartphone. Neither is a pants or trousers pocket. As a woman, there is a very good reason why you should never put your smartphone in your bra. There is increasing evidence linking radiation from smartphones and breast cancer. As a man, it should interest you to know that your smartphone should never be kept in your the pockets of your pants or trousers. Caution The reason for this caution has to do with the growing evidence showing that radiation from smartphones can have an adverse effect on sperm production in the testes. Almost everyone owns a smartphones today in what is considered a “normal” social life. It has become an accepted addiction. But is it a healthy addiction? What does the evidence show about long-term exposure to cellphone radiation and the risk of cancer or other health problems?

It’s a mixed bag, really, however, there is growing scientific evidence that improper usage of smartphones could be potentially hazardous to health. Cellphones emit Radio Frequency energy—or non-ionizing radiation that is absorbed by tissues nearest to where the phone is held. Several developed countries have already enacted safety ordinances warning of potential hazards. Lately, there are convincing arguments about the need to give recommendations of the minimum separation distance that a cellphone should be held from the body in order to limit radio frequency exposure to safe levels. Further, there are established links between cellphones and sperm quality as shown by the International Union against Cancer, IUCC. Breast cancer risk A February 2015 study, looked at the effects of mobile phone and Wi-Fi radiation on existing breast cancer cells and found the closer in distance the RF exposure was to the skin, the greater the damage to the underlying cells. Specifically, it found radiation increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), which impairs the ability of cells to repair them, which has been proven to contribute to cancer development. In 2011, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radio frequency like that emitted by cellphones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The safe recommendation is that anyone concerned about cancer risk, should simply try to limit their exposure. A particular American study of four women who had been diagnosed with multifocal invasive breast cancer under the age of 40 after routinely storing their cellphones in their bras. None of the patients had a family history of breast cancer, and they all tested negative for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which are linked to about 10 percent of breast cancer cases. Sperm cell reduction risk Numerous studies show that mobile phones carried in pockets of pants and/or worn on belts could result in loss of quantity and quality of active sperm cells by men. There have been established link between cellphones and sperm quality which shows that heavy mobile phone users (over four hours per day) have significantly less viable sperm. This is corroborated by a prospective study of normal men who found that significantly increasing their mobile phone use (over six hours each day for five days) caused a marked short-term reduction of sperm quality. The bottom line is that men, who use mobile phones on a regular basis are believed to lose about 30 per cent of their active sperm cells. Persons who carry their mobile phones in pockets of their pants are putting their potency at great danger. Scientists say that even in sleep mode, the mobile phone is as harmful as when switched on. Tips on safe use of smartphones By carrying or using your phone in your pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra when the phone is switched on and connected to a wireless network, you may unwittingly exceed the recommended guidelines for exposure to radio frequency radiation. * While talking on your smart phone, try to keep the phone away from your body as much as possible. Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode or a wired headset (not a Bluetooth). * Avoid using your smartphone when the signal is weak or when moving at high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new relay antenna. * Avoid carrying your smartphone on your body at all times. Do not keep it near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table, particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on “flight” or “off-line” mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions. * If you must carry your smartphone on you, make sure that the keypad is positioned toward your body and the back is positioned toward the outside so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from you rather than through you. * Only use your smartphone to establish contact or for conversations lasting a few minutes. * Switch sides regularly while communicating on your smartphone to spread out your exposure. Before putting your smartphone to the ear, wait until your correspondent has picked up. This limits the power of the electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the duration of your exposure. * When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call, to limit the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body. * Avoid using your smartphone in places like a bus, church, school or market where you can passively expose others to your phone’s electromagnetic fields. * Choose a device with the lowest Specific Absorption Rate, SAR, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body. SAR ratings of your smartphone and indeed most contemporary phones by different manufacturers can be checked HERE